Bill Devery Biography by The Baseball Page

Frank Farrell and Bill Devery were the first owners of the New York Highlanders - later to become the Yankees. They purchased the Baltimore Orioles on January 3rd, 1903 for $18,000. They were allowed to purchase the team and move it to New York because of their ties with the local politics. All previous attempts to move a team to Manahattan were blocked by the Giants. Devery had been an openly corrupt New York City police Chief. He had been forced out of the department shortly before purchasing the team. After the 1913 season the duo sold the team to Colonel Jacob Ruppert and Captain Tillinghast L'Hommedieu Houston